Pneumatic delivery box



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 vewlws:

f m. 1% n r m .m m 65 l M 2% rr Oct. 29, 1957 A. LINNERT EI'AL PNEUMATIC DELIVERY BOX Filed March 31, 1955 FIG.

Oct- 29, 1957 A. LINNERT EI'AL 2,810,937

PNEUMATIC DELIVERY BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 31, 1955 fi ur Linn erf Gor an 5 2014 Oct. 29, 1957 A. LINNERT ETAL PNEUMATIC DELIVERY BOX 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 31, 1955 r r g M s ML er Z f 679F010!) ham" United States 'atent- PNEUMATIC DELIVERY BOX Arthur Linnert and Gordon Short, Manchester, England Application March 31, 1955, Serial No. 498,396 Claims priority, application Great Britain April 1, 1954 6 Claims. (Cl. 19-75) This invention concerns pneumatic delivery boxes, and in particular pneumatic delivery boxes as used in the textile industry, in a pneumatic conveying system, for extracting fibrous material, especially cotton, from the conveying air to effect delivery at a required location.

Known delivery boxes embody a cylindrical cage, the periphery of which is perforated, and which in use is rotated in the path of the pneumatically conveyed fibrous material so that the material is collected on part of its periphery. A damper is provided within the cage to blank off another part of its periphery from the suction effect caused by the flow of air and the box has an outlet adjacent this blanked off part. In order to remove the material from the periphery of the cage and avoid any adverse eifect due to the provision of the outlet opening in the box and consequent ingress of air therethrough a shrouded stripper roller has been used, or preferably an improved sealing arrangement has been employed.

It has also been proposed to use a rotating disk, having, at intervals, perforate portions separated by radial partitions secured to one face of the disk, to remove cotton and other fibers from an air-stream. The proposal comprises the mounting of thedisk in a casinghaving inlet and outlet ports for the air-stream, and by rotation of the disk with its axis parallel to the flow, the bringing of the separate sections formed by the partitions successively into alignment with the flow and then out of the.

casing, to remove the fibers from the air stream.

It has furthermore been proposed to use a co-operating perforate disk and wiper similarly mounted in. a casing through which theladen air passes, so that-the inter action of the disk and wiper, when one of these is rotated,

removes material deposited on the disk to a relatively dead space in the casing, subsequentlyto be removed therefrom by an additional device.

The object of the present inventionis to provide" a pneumatic delivery box of simplified construction, .efii-= cient performance, low cost, and which is easy to manufacture, assemble and maintain.

According to the present invention a pneumatic delivery box comprises a flat, circular, perforated disk, two aligned lengths of ducting, thev adjacent ends of which are spaced apart sufiiciently to allow the disk, which is mounted for rotation about an axis lying outside the ducting and parallel to the longitudinal .axis thereof, to pass between them, sealing means between the ducting and the disk, part of which, on the one length, is displaceable under the influence of material collected on the corresponding face of thedisk to, allow the. materiaL'toTbe carried away out of the ducting to fall from the disk for collection, and means for driving the disk.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is a pneumatic delivery box constructed according to the invention and shown in elevation;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation from the right of Fig. l;

ice

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the delivery box illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 when in operation;

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing in elevation the quickrelease arrangement for the disk, and

Fig. 5 is an end elevation from the left of Fig. l.

The delivery box illustrated is intended in use to collect cotton fibers from an air stream by which they are being conveyed and deliver them to a desired location.

Basically the delivery box consists of two lengths of ducting 11, 12 mounted in end to end alignment in a pneumatic conveying system, and, between their adjacent ends, a motor driven perforated disk 13 mounted on a shaft 14 driven by a motor 15 through a right angle drive arrangement 16. The motor 15 and the drive arrangement 16 are supported from the ducting by suitable arms 17, 18, a bracket 19, and platform 20. The arms 17, 18 also serve to connect the lengths of ducting whereby the whole box is constructed as a unit. The lengths of ducting are circular in cross-section at their outer ends, and of the same size as that of the ducting of the pneumatic conveying system into which they are to be inserted, the connection of the box in the system being thereby facilitated.

The disk 13 has a plurality of small perforations accounting for approximately 50% of its face area and is mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ducting, the two lengths 11, 12 of which are spaced apart sufficiently to allow free movement of the disk 13 between them. The diameter of the disk 13 is about three times that of the basic diameter of the ducting and the longitudinal axis of the ducting is displaced from the axis of rotation of the disk by a distance equal to about half the radial extent of the disk.

The adjacent end regions of the lengths of ducting 11, 12 are gradually enlarged in the direction of rotation of the disk 13 up to about twice the basic cross-sectional area of the ducting until they almost abut identical areas of the respective faces of the disk 13. Adjacent the disk the edge or perimeter of the enlarged end region is defined each bounded by a radial edge line a extending from the disk center, by a semi-circle b of radius equal to the basic radius of the ducting, diameter c which lies radially of the disk, and by curves d, e which diverge slightly in the direction of rotation of the disk (shown by the arrow in Fig. v2) and connect the ends of the semi-circle with the opposite ends, respectively, of said radial edge.

Leather sealing strips 21, 22, 23 are attached to the edges of the enlarged ends of the lengths of ducting 11, 12

by clamping strips 25 and bolts 26 to prevent loss of air which would otherwise occurowing to the clearance between the ducting and the disk. The sealing strip 21 on I the radial edge of the enlarged end of the length of ducting which conveys the air and cotton up to the disk is attached to a flap 27 which is hinged to the ducting 11 by a hinge 28. The hinge is arranged so that the member may be opened by pivoting it in the direction of rotation of the disk. The flap 27 is spring loaded in the direction of the disk 13 by virtue of an arm 29 attached thereto, which is under the influence of a tension spring 30. A pin 31 may be moved along a slot 32 to provide an adjustable stop for the arm 29.

' The disk 13 (Figs. 4 and 5) has a metal boss 13a in which are two bayonet slots 13b. These slots are adapted to receive a pair of diametrically opposed pins 33 havmg fitted to the end of shaft 14. The center portion of each slot 13b is large enough to allow the head of each pin 33 to pass therethrough and when the disk 13 is then turned in the opposite direction to its direction of rotation it will be ready for use. This arrangement enables the disk 13 to be quickly positioned or removed. The sealing strips 21, 22, 23 are designed so that, with the enlarged heads which are mounted on a plate 34' 3 a disk removed a seal is maintained by contact of. the oppositely disposed strips.

It--has been found desirable for the-disk,13 to be? a somewhat loose fit on its-shaft 14 and on the'pins 33.40, allow, in use, for the factthat the disk-may not be quite flat.

In use (Fig.3) the delivery box is mounted horizontally as aunit in a conveyor system and the motor 15 switched on to drive the disk. The cottonC carried alonginto-the box by the air stream is collected by the rotating disk asit:passestbetween the; adjacent ends: of the lengths of ducting and is allowed to pass outIofthebox by: the, hinged inembentwhich is usually, as in thet.example of theinvention vbeing described, horizontally disposed. 1m: mediately the cotton is out of thebox andno. longer subject tothejnfluenceof the air; flow, itifalls, oh the diskto a collecting; station.

The invention of course] is not limited to, the par; ticular detailsoftthepreferred embodiment just described. For instance thedrive to thedisk, maytinstead ofrbeing as; described, be via ,a central gear, wheel on; thedisk,. on .be afriction drive to ,a' rim or flangehpfovided,,onjthesedge. of ;the latter. Eurthenanseful modification isthetp rowt vision of about four equirsp'aced spoke-shaped wires, solderedto that face of the disk facinglthe-onrcoming air stream, which vare foundto assistinthe action of; the delivery box when the ,amounttof cotton being :conyeyed, issmallff a What we claim is: V

l, 1 A pneumatic delivery box comprising in ,combina-.. tion aflat, circular, perforated disk, two aligned lengths of ducting, the adjacent ends of said lengths being .spaced apartsufiicie'ntly to allow said disk which is. mounted for -rotation vabout an axis lying outside. thelengthsof ducting and parallel to the longitudinal axis thereofg to,v pass .betweenthem, sealing means betweeneach' lengthflof ducting 'and gsaid disk, part 10f fsaid-fseali'ng meansronflthe one length being displaceab'le under the influenceofmae terial'collected on the correspondingface of f saiddi'sk'; to allow the material to be carriedj'away and,out offthe ducting to fall from the disk. for collection, and means for driving the disk 2. 'A-.,pneumatic" delivery box as set forth in claim, lj in Whichsaidfpart of said sealing means is mounted on aT spring loaded'hinged'member whereby it is resiliently; 45

, displaceable.

35A pneumatic delivery box. comprising in combina tion a fiat, circular, perforated disk, two alignedflengtlr's, of ducting, an enlarged jendfon each said length, offducting; said ends; being disposedfadjacent eachlothier, to e111 able said 'disk' to passtherebetween, a bingedjmember forming 'that'edgeof one of saidjlengths of ductingz at which; the surface of said disk'when rotating passes fr 'c m between-said-lengths of ducting, sealing means secured as meansecured to said shaft, means for driving said shaft toro the diskandiconnecting=the-ends-=of said semi-circle wit'h the opposite ends; respectively, oftsaid radial edge, a

hinged member forming said radial edge of one of said lengths of ducting at which the surface of said disk passes when rotating from between said lengths of ducting, sealing means secured -at-all the edges of said ends; and

spring means for normally urging said hinged member= against said disln 6. A pneumatic delivery box comprisingin comb'ir'ra tion-a-flat; circular; perfo'rate disk,- two like," aligned. lengthsof ducting of basically circular cross-section, connecting means for holdingsaid lengths ofducting inalign ment; a shaft "disposed-just outside said lngths 'of ducting and parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof; said 1 disk"- being secured to said shaft, quick-release means ,for speedily detaching said disk from-saidshaft, a motor for driving *said 'shaft'to' rotate said disk, a drive transmission" between-said motor-and said sh'aft,- support means of 'uni= tary construction' witlisaid connectingmeans, for said metorysaidtransmission-and saids-haft, an enlargedendf on each said' length of "ducting'at 7 least double the basic cross-sectional areath'ereof,"saidends being disposed ad jacent-eachiother to enable'said'disk-to pass therebetween;

and so:as-almost*to*abht'identical areas" of "the respectiv'e" facer of said disk each enlarged" end having its perimeterdefined? by'a radialiedge' line. extending from the center of said-disk; b'y arsemicircle 'of radius equal to" thebasic'radiusofthe ducting,thediameter'of the semi-- circle -lying radially of thediSk; and ;by' curves diverging slightly'in-the'-direction of rotation of th'edi'sk' and con:

necting the'ends of said semi-circle withthe opposite ends,

respectively ofsaidradieil edge; a hinged" flap forming;- said radial edge of one of said lengths of ducting at which the surface of said disk' passes when rotating from be-.

inggtofallifr'om the di'skzfor collection:

at all the edges ofsaid'ends, spring means for normally, urging said hinged membertagainst said disk, ,a'shaft dis; References Cited in:thefiieof"thispatent posed'outside said lengths of ductingand parallel to the V UNITEDMSTATES PATENTS' longitudinalaxis thereof, said diskwbeing detachably sev cured'to said shaft and means for driving said shaft-t0 418,087 7 11101112137 Dec-1245 1889" rotate the L Stephens g- 4: A pneumatic. delivery box as set forth'in 1aim .3 4394951663 p"- in which said sealing means consists of a leather strip. 2339;295" Rust -1944; 5'. A pneumatic delivery box comprising in combing- 23505704? Sum-m: Jul?" 1? 19521 tion a flat, circular, perforate disk; two like aligned lengths of "ducting, of basically circular crosssection, a i FQREIGNPATENTS1 shaft disposed outside said lengths of ducting andparall'l 607,530? Germany I Iune 5;- 1932 to thelon itudinal axis'thereof, said disk being attachably; 

